So you can check what connection you can use. For example, if you travel from Spain, you best options are travelling through Moscow or Istambul. If you start you travel in London, you may try flying through Almaty (there are direct flights London-Almaty).

Local transport

Drive orientation in Kyrgyzstan is right hand, so the steering wheel should be on the left side.

The main way to travel around the country and inside the cities are buses, rout taxis (marshrutka) and taxis. You can ride them both in large and small cities and between cities.

As the fuel is relatively cheap in Kyrgyzstan, the prices for public transport are low. So don´t hesitate to call the official taxi and avoid using the private one (more comfortable and safer).

The road network is poorly developed; good asphalt roads go from Bishkek to Osh, Almaty (Kazakhstan), Rybachye and around the Issyk-Kul lake. In winter, there is a risk of drifts on the mountain passes. In other cases, the roads are in poor condition: either broken asphalt, or gravel, or simply dirt roads. Finally, there are places that can only be reached by helicopter, on horseback or on foot.

As for car renting, it is not difficult to rent a car in Bishkek. You will need only your passport, a document confirming the legality of your stay in the country and an international driver’s license. Nevertheless, driving in Kyrgyzstan is dangerous by Western standards. So if you want to travel around Kyrgyzstan and you have no experience driving in this country or similar, we highly recommend you to use professional driver services instead of renting a car!

There are a lot of tourist drivers and transport companies on the market of Kyrgyzstan. The prices for professional driver services are relatively low and it is much safer, because most of them have a lot of experience working with tourist agencies. Please, check the prices HERE.

Rout taxi (Marshrutka): Marshrutka Nº380 departs from the bus stop in the western side of the airport´s terminal square. The final stop is “Beyshenaliyeva” (intersection of Young Guard Boulevard and Chui Ave). The fare is 40 KGS. Travel time is 40 minutes. The rout taxi is available from 06:40 to 21:00.

Public transport inside the cities

Rout taxi (Marshrutka): Minibuses that follow their definite routs but can stop upon passengers´ request. The price per 1 passenger is from 10 to 12 KGS (aprox. from $0,14 to $0,17).

Bus: Normal public buses that follow their definite routs and stop only at official bus-stops. The buses are even cheaper than rout taxis, the price for 1 passenger is 8 KGS (aprox. $0,11).

Trolleybus: Same conditions and prices as for buses.

HERE you can find information about public transport routs in Kyrgyz cities and towns.

Be careful when using crowded public transport to avoid possible pickpocketing!

Taxi:

Taxi in Kyrgyzstan is relatively cheap. The prices in the capital vary from 12 to 14 KGS per 1 kilometre (from $0,17 to $0,20 per 1 km), plus you have to add the start price – from 30 to 60 KGS (from $0,43 to $0,86). The taxi fare depends on the company and partly from the time.

Railway transport

The functional railway routs were kept only in the north of the country, near Bishkek. 3 long-distance trains to Moscow, Yekaterinburg and Novokuznetsk depart from Bishkek, and there is a suburban connection to the west – to Kazakhstan, to the east – to Tokmak station, and a local train to Balykchy (former Rybachye, situated on the lake Issyk-Kul).

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